Description: When psychiatrist Susie Harriott is convicted of murdering Glasgow serial killer Andrew Gow, her husband, Lachlan, embarks on a frantic search for material that may help with her appeal. But in going through her files, he finds layer upon layer of nasty secrets... or does he? Lachlan's diaries tell the dark and complicated story, claiming, variously, both absolute fact and deliberate fantasy.

Verdict: In truth, author Denise Mina's method of narration is in itself intriguing as not many writers attempt to tell a tale including so many delicate points of view. Mina's past books have been a lot grittier, a lot dirtier in both character and location, but here in 'Deception' Mina goes a tad bit upper-class as she examines the case of a woman psychiatrist convicted of murdering her serial-killer lover. Using the old "found manuscript" device - this time a computer diary kept by the convicted woman's husband - Mina tells the tale from the point of view of the psychiatrist's husband, who is combing records from the trial for evidence that his wife was innocent. As the husband searches both the court tapes and his own memories of his wife and their life together, the reader becomes increasingly aware of discordant notes in the husband's own psyche. This leaves the reader as anxious as the betrayed husband to figure out how a seemingly happy wife, mother, and psychiatrist could go off the rails so completely!
Reviewed by Mandy Carmaine